The success of an event can hinge on having the right number and type of people in a room. To do this you should use a strategic combination of proven techniques and fresh ideas to expose your event to more people within your target market. Then, make it as easy as possible for people to purchase their tickets and get on board.
Online Advertising
Let’s start with online advertising. Meta’s Ad Manager tools are impressive and can help you tailor your marketing on Facebook and Instagram. You can match up your social media audience with those already on your customer list. Let people know that the event they enjoyed is back!
Depending on the target audience there is also likely to be places online where those people congregate. There may be specific apps or social media groups that draw them in, sometimes even to discuss the topic of the event. It makes sense to market there, as you’ll have a far more receptive audience. Integrating in-app purchasing options is a great way to reduce ticket sale barriers.
Make your proven strategies work harder. Analyse past events to understand which marketing channels were most effective at driving ticket sales. Then exploit this area. Trying new marketing techniques is great when you’re looking to capture a new audience, but it also makes sense to go where your supporters have already shown to be active.
Image Credit: Shutterstock
Traditional Advertising
Don’t discount the idea of physical street level marketing. Posters, flyers and print advertising can generate a great deal of interest if they are located well. This will work for some events better than others, but it’s worth investigating as an option. This can be done relatively cheaply but it will cost more than social media placement. Weigh up your options and do your research first.
Image Credit: LYFE Marketing
Look further than your original target market
Try opening up your event to adjacent interests. This idea may not work if you’re hosting an event for a specific audience, but it’s worth considering if you have a public event planned for a segment of the general public. A wine festival may attract a larger range of people if it becomes a wine and cheese festival, for example. Don’t stray away from your core purpose but consider expanding to include complementary offerings in order to increase the number of attendees.
Diversifying your ticket offerings may be a way to see increased numbers for your next event. Consider selling live-stream access for those who couldn’t otherwise attend, for example. Offering early-bird discounts, half-day passes may help those wavering to commit. On the other end of the spectrum, VIP packages and add-ons, group ticket purchases and other premium options may attract a more discerning clientele.
Image Credit: REVV
Make It Easy!
Finally, make it easy for your attendees to purchase their tickets. There are many event registration software on the market that allows customers to purchase tickets in-app, when they come across event marketing. Make the Register Now buttons easy to find on your website.
Reduce barriers to purchasing on your sales site. This includes removing the need to create an account in order to buy the tickets. Make the data fields as few as possible (it’s tempting to gather as much data as possible, but there is a fine line). Eliminate as many click-through pages as possible, keep data entry to a single page, and make prices easy to find without forcing a commitment to data entry first.
Reducing these barriers will reduce the amount of drop off you experience. Don’t waste the effort you spent on directing people to the ticketing page by making it so off-putting that they leave without a purchase.
Need help with event marketing?
For more ideas on how to effectively market your event, ask your event organiser if they have any recommendations. Effectively marketing your event has the potential to make or break it, so make sure you have done it authentically and tastefully. It is also important you have covered as many areas as possible, to reach the client base you’re after!
For more information on Nectar CC and how we can help market your next brilliant event, please contact Peta on 1300 878 815 or info@nectarcc.com.au.
